


Quirks

by lonelybrokensouls



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-12 14:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2114172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonelybrokensouls/pseuds/lonelybrokensouls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has many quirks and habits that get on Bruce's nerves, but even if he had the choice he still wouldn't change a single thing about him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Snoring

**Author's Note:**

> right okay right so i've been working on this for so long and i am arrogantly proud of it like i've stuck with it for so long and haven't abandoned it. i'm really happy with how it's turned out please stay tuned as i haven't finished all the chapters yet and enjoy:)

If someone had told Bruce a year ago that one day he'd be in a committed, steady relationship with Tony Stark he would have laughed in their face. Tony was a womaniser that loved the sound of his own voice and, as good a friends as they were, there was no way someone as extravagent as that would ever be interested in someone as introverted as Bruce. Then on top of that there was the whole turning-into-an-enormous-green-rage-monster thing which was a complete turn off on its own.

However here he was, lying in bed next to Tony fucking Stark in the sixth month of their relationship. They hadn't made a song and dance about it, wanting to keep something that was this important to them private from the inquistive eyes of the press, but Tony had insisted he declare that he was officially off the market. Bruce had rolled his eyes but the whole thing was rather sweet. For someone like Tony, who had become known for taking a different man or woman home almost every night, to announce that he was committed to one person was a big thing. It made Bruce feel like he was actually wanted for once in his life. Tony made him feel special. While Bruce maintained the view that he was still a massive danger and belonged far away from civilisation he was happy in the tower with Tony and the other Avengers. There was just one thing at that current moment that was making him hate the engineer just a little bit...and that was his snoring.

Tony Stark snored very loudly and every single night without fail it kept Bruce awake. No matter how many times Bruce told him about it, Tony would simply scoff and proclaim "I don't snore, I'm too brilliant to do something as trivial as snoring." which made Bruce want to scream. Bruce always managed to get to sleep eventually but it was usually after hours of tossing and turning and near smothering himself with his pillow in attempt to drown out the infernal racket. The problem was that Tony was a very deep sleeper and was almost impossible to wake once he'd drifted off so no matter how much Bruce shoved him it made no difference. It was slowly driving him insane.

Tonight was no different. They'd packed up the lab after a long day's work, shared a heated make out session until they were yawning more than they were kissing then stripped off into boxers and fell into bed. Tony, as usual, had fallen straight to sleep with his arm draped over Bruce's chest and had almost immediately started snoring. Bruce groaned and pulled his pillow up to cover his ears to try and get some peace and quiet. It didn't work. He shoved Tony's arm off of him and scooted over to the very edge of the bed to get as far away as possible from the noise but it was to no avail. There was no way he was going to get to sleep with Tony going on like he was. So he adopted a different approach.

Bruce grabbed his pillow from under his head, crawled over to where Tony was sleeping and started whacking him with it, "Wake up you asshole," he hissed, smashing Tony's head reapeatedly with the pillow, "Tony I swear to God I will never have sex with you again. Wake. Up."

After two particularly fierce hits Tony's eyes slowly opened, confusion evident on his face, and Bruce instantly felt guilty. Trust Tony to look like the most adorable person on the planet when mere moments ago he had been producing sounds that would put foghorns to shame. He'd propped himself up on one elbow and was rubbing at his eyes with his fist. His hair was all messy and he was frowning like he was trying to determine why he'd woken up when it was still dark.

"Bruce?" Tony murmured sleepily when he noticed Bruce sat up next to him, "Wass'happ'nin?"

"You were snoring." Bruce sighed, dropping his pillow back onto the bed and letting his head fall back down onto it, "Again."

Tony's forehead creased in confusion as he processed the sentence, "I don't snore."

"Sir, if I may," JARVIS announced suddenly, "Your snoring has kept Dr. Banner awake every night this week. He has calmly ignored it every night but tonight."

"Thank you, JARVIS!" Bruce said happily, rolling onto his side to look at Tony with a grin on his face, "I told you so, Mr I'm-too-cool-to-snore."

Tony childishly stuck his tongue out at Bruce and purposely rolled onto his back so that he didn't have to look at his boyfriend directly. It was funny how different Tony was when he was around Bruce. He was a lot more open and showed a side of himself that he would never show around anyone else. To the rest of the Avengers Tony put on the snarky-extravagent-better-than-you act but Bruce knew that was all it was. An act.

"C'mere, you," Bruce whispered softly, holding his arm out to Tony when he noticed the genius' eyelids start to droop.

Tony scooted over to him reluctantly and rested his head on Bruce's chest over his heart so that he could listen to the steady beating and be reassured that all was well. Bruce wrapped an arm tight around Tony's shoulder and entangled their legs together, making sure there was as little space as possible between their bodies. Tony's arm was slung over Bruce's stomach and his fingers were tracing idle patterns around his bellybutton. Both of them were content to just lie there holding each other because it was moments like these that they loved most. Moments when there was no threat of alien attack and no god forsaken briefing for them to attend. They were allowed to be a couple without being interupted by world-ending chaos. It was nice.

"Love you, Bruce," Tony yawned, his grip on Bruce tightening a little, "Ver' much."

"I love you too, you idiot, now go to sleep." Bruce kissed Tony's hair softly and closed his eyes.

His eyes snapped open after what could have only been five seconds though. Tony had indeed fallen back to sleep...and he had continued his snoring.


	2. Constant Talking

"I can't believe I've only been here five days, Pepper has had me in a bazillion different meetings all of which were with highly un-entertaining old greying men in suits that looked more expensive than my car which, as we both know, is a very difficult task in itself because that car did cost me a few bucks. Then again I suppose it isn't really an issue considering y'know the whole billionaire slash genius thing so I'm not too worried and if I really wanted to I could just go and buy a new car. Come to think of it I think I could do with a new set of wheels and new car means car sex which I'm always down for so let me know when you're up for car shopping!"

Bruce smiled fondly at the screen of his StarkPad which was currently showing Tony talking rapidly about whatever had happened to him in the last five minutes. The self penned genius-billionaire-playboy-philathropist had been coerced by Pepper into a week long business trip to Washington DC meaning that the two of them had been separated. While Bruce understood that sometimes stuff like this was going to pop up and it was unrealistic of him to think that Tony would just not go, he couldn't help feeling lonely whenever his boyfriend wasn't around. It wasn't that much of a problem though because every day without fail Tony had been skyping, texting and calling him with updates about his trip. Bruce loved it, it was just that half the time he couldn't get a word in.

"I've only got, what is it, two days left now? That's a relief. I tell ya as much as I love Pep, and I do, she is a right pain in my ass when she wants to be. All 'do this, Tony' 'sign that, Tony' 'why do you have to be so immature, Tony?' it's starting to drive me insane. I wish you were here with me, you always make everything a thousand times more interesting. I think it's because at any given moment you could explode into an enormous green rage monster and surprises like that are never unwelcome. Seriously though, this week would have gone so much quicker if you were here with me."

Bruce chuckled at Tony's honest to god pout and ran a hand through his unruly curls. This was the longest period of time they'd spent apart since the beginning of their relationship seven months ago and it was a real eye opener for Bruce. For instance; he knew that Tony talked a lot but he had never realised quite how much he talked until the other man wasn't there nattering constantly in his ear. The tower had been eerily silent without his snark and sarcastic retorts. Sure, Bruce liked a little peace and quiet now and again but he preferred having his boyfriend around.

"Do you reckon Pep would let me fly you out for the weekend if I sweet talked her? Maybe if I bought her something...then again she buys herself what she wants, she has control over about half of my bank cards. I'm not complaining though the woman is basically a machine, she keeps my ass out of trouble...for the most part...and Stark Industries runs smoothly and efficiently with her at the helm. Hey I almost forgot! I totally bought you a present--"

Bruce wondered whether or not Tony had noticed that he was basically having a conversation with himself but by the way he was still babbling he figured that no, he hadn't. It was nice though. Tony could talk endlessly and Bruce was content to just sit there and listen to him, no matter how stupid or insane the words coming out of the engineer's mouth were.

"--I think you're really gonna like it y'know, it's not too showy but it's not like, totally boring either. I couldn't not get you-- why are you smiling at me like that?"

Bruce grinned, laying down on his side on their ridiculously large bed bringing his StarkPad close to his face, "I just love you."

Tony faltered for a moment and Bruce would have made a cheeky comment about how if that was all it took for Tony to stop talking then he'd start saying it more often. Because he didn't say it enough. He didn't tell Tony he loved him enough even though he knew he should because God knows he did. Tony was the single greatest thing in his life.

"Well yeah of course you love me, everyone loves me, I'm Tony fuckin' Stark!" Tony exclaimed, his smirk softening into a self-conscious smile at the look Bruce gave him, "Yeah, yeah. I love you too..."

Bruce sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment and imagining that Tony was there with him instead of an unfair amount of miles away, "I miss you," he murmured hoping that Tony would be able to understand how much he meant it.

"I miss you too." Tony said softly with a smile that he reserved only for Bruce, "Only a couple more days then I'll be back. I'm betting on a welcome home shag, by the way, because otherwise what's the point on even coming on these trips? They're bascially useless I mean all the people that I've seen and talked to have been idiots-"

And he was off again, rambling on about anything and everything. But Bruce didn't care. He wouldn't change a single thing about Tony even if he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is more of a daft one but i hope you like it :)


	3. The Hair Thing

It was a normal night in the Avengers tower. They were all gathered in the lounge watching Star Wars (because according to Clint it was a crime that Steve and Thor hadn't seen the films) and were enjoying the fact that no one had chosen today to try and take over the planet. Clint was sat in the middle of Thor and Steve on the sofa quietly explaining to them what was happening as the events of the film unfolded, Natasha had claimed an armchair as her own and was curled up in it while Bruce sat alone on the loveseat because Tony apparently had better things to do than 'sit around and play house with the worlds shittest boyband'. The room was dark save for the glow of the TV screen and Bruce enjoyed being able to feel completely at ease around a group of people for the first time in a long time.

The only thing that would have made the night even better, for Bruce anyway, would have been the presence of Tony. The engineer joked frequently about the team and made out like he couldn't care less about what they did but Bruce knew how pleased he'd been when they'd all moved into the tower. He knew that Tony hated being alone and the company of the others made him happier than he'd care to admit.

His thoughts were suddenly interupted by someone snaking their arms around Bruce's shoulders and kissing his temple and it took all of his self control not to yank away immediately. With a roll of his eyes Bruce looked up over his shoulder and sure enough there was Tony, smirking slyly at him in the darkness.

"Hey there big guy, miss me?" Tony murmured cheekily, clambering over the back of the loveseat so that he was sat down next to Bruce.

"I thought you had better things to do?" Bruce questioned, raising his eyebrow in an 'I knew you'd be here eventually' kind of look.

Tony shrugged and glanced briefly at the screen, ignoring the annoyed glances of the others for disturbing the quiet, "I figured I might as well catch up with my fellow Avengers plus joining you meant I would have the chance to piss off at least one person so here I am."

Bruce chuckled at the lousy excuse and tried to focus on the goings on of the film but found that he was now sutably distracted by Tony who was now sprawled across the loveseat with his head in Bruce's lap. The others were apparently choosing to ignore the interaction between the two and were instead watching the unfolding fight scene in the film with great interest. Steve was making a face at the violence while Thor and Clint were grinning madly at the poor special effects and average acting. But Tony wasn't paying any attention to them, he was staring up at Bruce and gently headbutting his hand with his head.

"Has anyone told you you're basically an overgrown child?" Bruce whispered trying to sound irritated but failing miserably.

"Every day of my life," Tony retorted childishly, nudging at Bruce's hand insistantly until the physicist placed it atop Tony's head and started running his fingers through the dark locks.

The first time it had happened Bruce had thought it was an attention seeking thing because heaven forbid he pay attention to anything other than Tony. He'd been sat up in bed reading a book when Tony had plopped his head down on Bruce's lap and started nudging at his hand. In order to try and satisfy Tony while not having to move Bruce had started absent mindedly running his fingers through his hair as he read. After a few moments of alternating between scratching his scalp and messing up then straightening his hair, Bruce swore he'd heard small sounds escaping Tony's mouth. Listening closely, book almost completely abandoned, he realised the sounds were almost cat-like purrs that Tony was making. Curious, Bruce had gently tugged at Tony's hair to see the reaction it would have and couldn't help the smile that had spread across his lips when Tony keened and leaned his head into the touch.

It became a thing after that. Whenever they found themselves in bed or watching TV or gernally anything where there was an oppertunity for Tony to sprawl across Bruce's lap - he would. Neither of them ever spoke about it, it just happened and it helped Tony relax which Bruce was all for.

"Hey, lovebirds? Mind toning it down a little? Some of us are trying to watch a film here and your cute relationship is getting in the way," Clint complained, recieving nothing but the middle finger from Tony and a nowhere near apologetic look from Bruce.

"Don't be an ass, Clint." Nat scolded, her eyes not moving from the screen.

Bruce shook his head a little not quite able to believe that this was his life. It was hard to believe that a year ago he'd been on the run; living in the far corners of the earth and barely able to trust himself let alone anyone else. Now he had a little family that cared for him and God knew he cared about all of them as well. After all those years of thinking he wasn't good enough and that he was a monster that didn't deserve happiness...he finally had something worth living for.

"Love you, Bruce." Tony whispered when he noticed the distant look in Bruce's eyes, "Don't forget that." he then pressed three light kisses to the phycists stomach before letting his eyes slip closed

"Love you too, Tony." Bruce said softly with what was probably the stupidest grin on his face, leaning down to kiss Tony gently on the lips pulling away only when he heard the fake gagging from Clint.

Yeah, life was pretty perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, bit of a daft one but i loved writing it all the same


	4. Singing in the Shower

Bruce Banner was not and never had been a morning person. Being on the run and in hiding for the most part of his life he had not been able to fully appreciate the wonders of a lie in. That was until he'd moved into the tower, of course, and since then he had made a point of never being up before nine o'clock at the earliest. He felt that he deserved his extra time in bed seeing as he hadn't really had a decent one for the such a long time. Sleeping was just something he liked to do; it was a time where he was able to forget about the Other Guy for a few hours and live in a world created by his mind. The best thing about living in the tower was that they each had there own floor and subsequently there was no one around to wake Bruce up at ridiculously early hours of the morning. Well...there hadn't been. Then he'd started dating Tony Stark.

The morning after their first night together Bruce was rudely woken at what felt like a monsterously early hour of the morning by someone singing in the next room. A quick glance at the clock on the wall had informed him that it was in fact seven in the freaking morning which was two whole hours before he'd wanted to be awake. It was disgraceful. Not to mention rude. Who was even around to be singing that loudly at such an early hour of the morning anyway. Frustrated, Bruce rolled over to see if Tony had been woken by the racket...only to see that he wasn't there. For a moment he thought that he'd been the recipient of a fuck and run, but then it clicked. Ever so slightly now he could hear the sound of running water and now that he was conscious enough to process coherent thought, the only room close to this one was Tony's en suite bathroom.

"LOAD UP ON GUNS AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS, IT'S FUN TO LOSE AND TO PRETEND. SHE'S OVER BORED AND SELF ASSURED, OH NO, I KNOW A DIRTY WORD,"

Bruce groaned and pulled the duvet up over his head to try and drown out the noise. It wasn't that Tony was a particularly bad singer, per se, it was just that he was singing at seven in the morning and had woken Bruce up.

"WITH THE LIGHTS OUT, IT'S LESS DANGEROUS! HERE WE ARE NOW, ENTERTAIN US! I FEEL STUPID AND CONTAGIOUS, HERE WE ARE NOW, ENTERTAIN US!"

"JARVIS, make him stop," he whined, desperately chasing after the blissful sleep he'd been wrapped up in mere moments ago

"I'm afraid that will not be possible, Dr Banner. Mr Stark ignores my requests at the best of times, I strongly doubt he would tone down his singing on my request. If anything he would probably sing louder simply to defy me."

Bruce groaned again, plugging his ears with his fingers and waiting for Tony to be done so that he could calmly inform him that he required at least ten hours of sleep and didn't like being woken up at obscene hours of the morning - thank you very much.

*

The next time was after a ridiulously long night in the labs. They'd shut down the lab at three in the morning and then trudged up to Tony's room where they collapsed, fully clothed, onto the bed and fallen quickly to sleep. The two of them had been together for a few months but Bruce had yet to move his things into Tony's room full time. He was happy though, happier than he had been in a long time. Tony was so different to everyone else; he was quirky and energetic and loud but he was also kind and caring and sweet. Seeing as he'd been so tired the night before though, Bruce had forgotten to tell Tony to tone down his singing in the morning and had consequently been woken by it at half six that morning.

"LIVING EASY, LIVING FREE, SEASON TICKET ON A ONE-WAY RIDE. ASKING NOTHING, LEAVE ME BE, TAKING EVERYTHING IN MY STRIDE!"

Bruce nearly screamed when he saw the time on the clock and immediately shoved his head under the pillow. How was it possible for Tony to be awake? They'd only been in bed for three and a half hours!

"DON'T NEED REASON, DON'T NEED RHYME, AIN'T NOTHIN' I WOULD RATHER DO. GOING DOWN, PARTY TIME, MY FRIENDS ARE GONNA BE THERE TOO."

In a moment of anger, Bruce grabbed the lamp on the bedside table and threw it at the bathroom door hoping that Tony would cease his racket and let Bruce go back to sleep. The scientist was not a happy man when he had not gotten an adequate amount of rest and if Tony carried on the way he was he would find himself with a big green problem very soon.

"I'M ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL! ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL! HIGHWAY TO HELL, I'M ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL!"

When Bruce realised that the only reason he was going to shut Tony up would be to go in there and make him, he yelled profanities into his pillow and kicked his legs like a child. Not only had Tony woken him at half six, but he was also now forcing him out of the warmth of the bed, across the cold room and into the bathroom. Yeah, Bruce could safely say he hated his boyfriend as he flung the covers from his body and stormed across the room with death in his eyes.

"NO STOP SIGNS, SPEED LIMIT, NODBODY'S GONNA SLOW ME DOWN. LIKE A WHEEL, GOTTA SPIN IT, NOBODY'S GONNA MESS ME-- AHHHHHHH!"

Bruce ripped open the shower curtain which Tony was apparently not expecting because he screamed and slipped over onto his ass, staring up at Bruce with wide eyes. The usually calm physicist was practically vibrating in anger, taking deep breaths so's to try and keep his heart rate down and prevent a nasty green appearance.

"Anthony Edward Stark." Bruce started, taking three steps towards Tony, "If you don't shut the fuck up, I swear to God I will make you the Other Guy's personal play toy. Do you understand me?"

Tony looked like he didn't know whether to be scared or aroused as he stared up at Bruce, "Would it be insanely inappropriate of me to say that you look really hot right now, babe?"

*

On the morning of their one year anniversary, Bruce found himself waking up feeling well rested and relaxed. It was strange to think that he and Tony had been in a relationship for a whole year. If he was honest Bruce had thought that Tony would get fed up with him after a few months and ditch him for a swimsuit model. But as he lay there in their bed he couldn't believe he'd ever had his doubts. Tony had been loyal to him and had gently let down anyone that had come onto him since the start of their relationship. Sure they'd had their arguments, every couple did, but they came out of each one stronger and more in love than they had been previously.

"Good morning Mr Banner." JARVIS interupted Bruce's happy daydreams with his professional voice, "Mr Stark asked me to wish you a happy anniversary when you woke, he is currently in the shower."

"Thank you JARVIS, good morning to you too," Bruce smiled, shuffling up and kicking the duvet down to his ankles.

Upon realising that Tony was in the shower and apparently not singing, Bruce cocked his head to the side a little and strained his ears for the sound of the water...but he couldn't hear anything. Curious now Bruce swung his legs over the side of the bed and crept towards the door wondering what Tony was doing. When he reached the door he turned it slowly so it wouldn't make any noise and was taken aback when the sudden sound hit him.

"I can't fight this feeling any longer, and yet I'm still afraid to let it flow, what started out as friendship has grown strooonngerrrr, I only wish I had the strength to let it show."

The smile that spread across Bruce's face was so big it hurt his cheeks. Tony was indeed singing, but it wasn't the usual shouty-singing that woke Bruce up most mornings, it was gentler and sounded like Tony was pouring his heart into it. From the sounds of things it was like the other man was trying harder to stay quiet so that he wouldn't wake Bruce. The sentiment warmed Bruce's heart.

"I tell myself that I can't hold out forever, I say there is no reason for my fear, 'cause I feel so secure when we're togeeeethherrrr - you give my life direction, you make everything so clear."

Bruce made sure he kept as quiet as possible as he slid out of his flannel pants and tip toed towards the shower. When he was close enough, Bruce pulled the curtain back a little bit so that he could peak in at Tony and what he saw made him raise his hand to his mouth to disguise his laughter. Tony had his eyes squeezed shut and was singing into his shampoo bottle, bopping his head to an imaginary beat and swaying his hips.

"And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window on a cold dark winter's night. And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I miiighhtt..."

Bruce stepped into the shower and wrapped his arms around Tony's waist from behind, feeling the other man tense for a moment but relax back into the embrace when he realised it was Bruce.

"And I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for. It's time to bring this ship into the shore and throw away the ores forever..." The two of them sang softly to each other, swaying gently from side to side with Tony dropping his arms to cover Bruce's around his stomach, "Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore, I've forgotten what I started fighting for. And if I have to crawl upon thefloor, come crashing through your door, baby I can't fight this feeling anymore."

Tony turned in Bruce's arms and grinned down at him, winding his arms around the slightly shorter man's neck and pecking him on the lips, "Morning loverboy."

Bruce laughed then dropped his lips to Tony's neck and his hands down to squeeze his ass, "Morning,"

"If you hadn't guessed, I soundproofed the bathroom for our anniversary. It's not your only present but I thought it'd be the one you appreciated most-- mpphh!" Tony was cut off by Bruce crushing their lips together in a bruising kiss and laughed into it.

Using his hulk-strength Bruce lifted Tony up and the engineer wrapped his legs tight around his waist, "I love when you manhandle me," Tony smirked, moaning when Bruce smacked him on the ass

"Stop talking."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl i giggled while writing this one enjoy pls xoxoxo


	5. Food Habits

Working in the labs for most of the day meant that Tony and Bruce didn't get much of a chance to eat. While Bruce managed to take relatively regular breaks to grab a drink or an apple, Tony would go for hours without food until his stomach was grumbling so loud it was distracting. There were some times when they would take proper breaks from their work and spend some time with the others or just chill on their own for a bit which was when they did most of their eating. Bruce did most of the cooking for the group with Clint taking over on occasion to make his delicious lasagne and while Tony appreciated the cooked meals...he always made himself snacks throughout the day.

Bruce had been sat at the table with Thor discussing Asgardian delicacies when Tony had walked in with what looked like a normal sandwich. He'd sat down at the table with them and was eating it when Clint came out of nowhere and grabbed it right out of his hands and taken a large bite...then spat it right back out again.

"Oh man, that's disgusting, what even is that?!" Clint made a sour face, dropping the sandwich onto the table and rushing into the kitchen for water.

Tony scowled at him and picked up the offending item, "I'll have you know that this is a masterpiece, I made it myself; it's banana, marmite and ham."

Bruce scrunched up his nose in distaste at the description, only imagining how disgusting that must taste. Thor seemed to be confused by the change in events though because he plucked the sandwich from Tony's grasp and bit into it himself.

"I have never tasted something so foul!" he exclaimed after having swallowed, "Do you people eat food such as this regularly?"

"It is not foul it's delcious, thank you very much," Tony huffed, biting into the sandwich himself and swallowing with a pleased sigh.

"Nearly poisoned me!" Clint yelled from the kitchen, "Here's a tip, if you're gonna be eating rank food - tell a guy before you let him eat it!"

"Shut it, Katniss, don't you have plants to forage?" Tony retorted with a frown, finishing off the last of his sandwich.

Bruce didn't need to be in the kitchen to see the bird he was flipping Tony.

*

It was eleven at night and the team had just got back from a debriefing with Fury about the science-experiment-gone-wrong that had escaped into New York (cats the size of horses with teeth like sharks that spewed a venomous substance from their mouths.) Bruce was exhausted from his extended time as the Other Guy and he ached all over. They usually managed to wrap up a fight after an hour or two but this one had taken a fair amount longer due to the fact that they couldn't get close to the creatures without being sprayed with venom.

Tony and Natasha had wandered into the kitchen to make coffee for everyone and Bruce was near passed out on the sofa listening to Clint mumble about arrows that created a shield around his body. Steve was nodding off and Thor was somehow wide awake and rambling about how there were "no such beasts in Asgard" to no one in particular. When Natasha and Tony returned from the kitchen with steaming hot coffee for everyone, they all sat up a little and stopped their talking. Tony plonked himself down next to Bruce on the sofa and pressed a quick kiss to his temple. He had placed two mugs on the coffee table in front of them and Bruce grabbed at one, not bothering to ask whose was whose as he raised the mug to his lips. He they sprayed the liquid over Tony.

"How much sugar is in that?!" Bruce said through coughs, thrusting the mug into Tony's awaiting hands, "That's vile."

Tony rolled his eyes and took a long gulp, "It's not vile, it wakes me up. You don't even know what coffee tastes like the only hot drink you accept is green tea and that tastes like shit so you can't complain."

Clint had been watching the scene between the two scientists unfold and decided he wanted to try the coffee himself. So he untangled himself from Natasha and took the mug from Tony's grasp, taking a long swig which he spat right back out into the cup.

"Oh man there's gotta be like ten spoonfuls of sugar in that," he winced, wiping his tongue with his hand then wiping it on the sofa much to Tony's disgust, "You're gross, man."

Natasha muttered something offensive-sounding in Russian and hauled Clint out of the room with her before Tony could pour the mug over his head and Tony was pouting into his coffee claiming that it had been tainted. Steve was now asleep against the arm of the couch and Thor had stopped his rambling in favour of inhaling his own coffee.

"Why is it that you cause a drama in every aspect of your life?" Bruce mumbled sleepily, pulling Tony down to lie next to him on the sofa.

"It's all part of my charm, big guy." Tony winked at him, set his coffee down then wrapped his arms around Bruce's chest and fell quickly to sleep.

*

"Movie night, movie night, movie night," Clint sing-songed, practically skipping into the lounge with a bowl of popcorn.

"You're only happy because it's your turn to choose the film," Tony griped, tapping away on his StarkPad.

"James Bond is the best series ever created and everyone's gonna love it so you can shut up," Clint smiled in response as he slipped the disk, Quantum of Solace, into the DVD player.

They were all gathered around the TV in a variety of positions. Natasha was sat cross-legged on one end of the loveseat with Clint's feet in her lap, Thor was on the armchair leaning forward with his elbows on his knees propping his chin up on his hands, Steve was leaning back against the sofa with a soda in his hand with Bruce and Tony occupying the other end of the sofa. Bruce was sat up on the seat with a book on his lap and Tony was on the floor in front of him leaning back against his legs.

The film was about half way through when Tony wandered off to the kitchen in search of something to eat. Clint had been watching the film with rapt attention and Bruce had to admit that it was pretty good. When Tony returned he sat down next to Bruce and started unwrapping a chocolate bar.

"Why do you have ketchup?" Steve asked curiously, earning a violent 'Shhhhh!' from Clint.

Tony held one finger up at him then proceeded to squirt ketchup all over his chocolate bar and bite into it, much to the disgust of Steve and Bruce.

"What's wrong with you? That's disgusting!" Steve groaned, his face twisted in mild horror as Tony added more ketchup to the chocolate.

"You people are never up for trying something new, this is very tasty." Tony defended, popping the last of the chocolate into his mouth.

"You're going to make yourself ill," Bruce sighed, turning his nose up as Tony unwrapped another chocolate bar, "Remember the fish incident?"

Clint seemed to be interested in that because he let his eyes stray from the screen for a moment, "What was the fish incident?"

"Irrelevant." Tony said quickly, glaring over at the archer who was now very interested in the coversation.

"Tony decided one day that he was going to have barbecue sauce with fish fingers and made himself sick." Bruce said with a laugh, remembering how he'd been awake all night rubbing Tony's back as he threw up into the toilet, "He was vomiting for hours."

"Oh man, you have some weird food habits." Clint shook his head in disgust then made fake gagging noises before turning back to the TV.

"You can't talk. Remember in Budapest when you--" Natasha was smirking at Clint who had quickly cut her off by turning up the volume.

*

"Tony, what are you doing?" Bruce mumbled, voice thick with sleep.

He'd woken at one that morning with a splitting headache and had gone in search of aspirin only to find Tony sat up on the counter eating something. It wasn't unusual for the engineer to creep out for a midnight snack but Bruce really wasn't in the mood for whatever concoction he'd cooked up this time.

"You know what...doesn't matter. Just hand me the aspirin please." He sighed, stumbling forward to the tap to get himself a glass of water.

"Sure thing, Brucie." Tony replied around a mouthful of food, handing the box of aspirin to the pained scientist.

Bruce took two tablets, swallowed his water then leaned back against the counter to look at Tony, "Are those just crisps?"

"And Mayonaise!" Tony added, demonstrating his point by dunking a prawn cocktail crisp into the tub of mayo and popping it into his mouth, "Yummy!"

"That is...never mind you've heard it all before, I'm going back to bed." Bruce scrubbed his eyes with his fists and yawned deeply, "Are you coming?"

Tony nodded, pouring the last of the crisps into his mouth and following after Bruce, "You feeling okay?"

Bruce shook his head, not feeling up to a conversation with the world's loudest person at that moment in time, "No."

Tony seemed to get the point because he simply reached out for Bruce's hand and pulled him along until they reached there bedroom. He held the door open for Bruce and then when they were back under the covers he shifted up behind him and wrapped his arms around Bruce's waist.

"Get better soon," Tony murmured, kissing the back of Bruce's neck, "Love you."

"Love you too," Bruce yawned, "Oh, and Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"Your breath is disgusting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so far the favourite one i've written bc banter between the gang is my fave


	6. Lip Biting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay i angsted a little, sorry friends, pls leave feedback if you enjoyed this chapter. the rest will (probably) be cuter aw

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Bruce commented one evening when he once again noticed Tony biting the skin off his lips.

"Do what?" Tony asked, not looking up from what he was working on.

"Bite your lips. You make them all chapped and it must be sore. Look, now you're bleeding," Bruce sighed and took off his safety goggles, saving his progress and walking round the workbench to where Tony stood.

Tony flinched a little when Bruce raised his thumb to trace the outline of his bottom lip, angling his body away to try and break the contact. But Bruce was stubborn, especially so when Tony was injured, and he gently took Tony's wrist pulling him away from his work towards the sofa at the back of the lab.

"You don't have to mother me, I'm not a child," Tony muttered sourly when Bruce pushed him down onto the brown leather, "Seriously, you're over reacting, it doesn't even hurt."

Bruce rolled his eyes. Typical Tony downplaying his own pain in favour of not bothering anyone. He did it all the time. Always put the welfare of others before himself and more often than not it ended up in him getting badly hurt. They'd nearly lost him in battle more than once because he'd been trying to save someone else. While it wasn't unappreciated Bruce wished he look after himself better.

"I'm not mothering you," Bruce rubbed a hand over his face and once again gently raised his thumb to Tony's bleeding lip, "Jeez Tony, your lips are in such a bad state! I wish you wouldn't chew them so much it's not good for them."

Tony swatted at Bruce's hand and folded his arms, "It's not a big deal, Bruce! Will you let it go!"

The words were harsh and they hung in the silence that had grown between them. Bruce studied Tony's face carefully for signs of pain or discomfort, he could always tell when the other man was suppressing his emotions in order to not make a scene.

"I'm sorry, okay, sorry for caring about you," Bruce snapped, dropping his hand into his lap and averting his eyes, "It just frustrates me that you don't take better care of your body! You're always putting yourself in danger Tony and it scares me to death!"

"It's just chewing my lips, Bruce! It's not like I'm throwing myself in front of a bomb! Fucking hell, you over react, just drop it will you?" Tony stood angrily from the sofa and stormed out of the room, "JARVIS, save my work." he muttered before exiting through the glass doors.

Bruce sat in shock. Tony had never had such a harsh reaction to something so trivial before. They rarely argued and even when they did it was never over something so petty.  
"JARVIS, where's he going?" Bruce asked quietly after a moment, secretly hoping that Tony would come back by now to apologise for snapping. He hadn't.

"I'm afraid Mr Stark requested that I didn't tell you of his location, Dr Banner," The Al sounded somewhat apologetic and Bruce couldn't find it in his heart to get mad at him, after all he was only taking orders from his creator.

"That's okay, thanks anyway."

He wandered back over to his work but he couldn't work properly without Tony there babbling away. It was no use, he wasn't getting anything done and he was too caught up in the argument to put any effort in. After five minutes of futilely trying to solve equations on his StarkPad, Bruce decided that if he couldn't work he might as well go and grab something to eat so he exited the labs and strolled into the lift, hitting the button for Tony's penthouse suite they now shared. ( _"I couldn't possibly live somewhere as fancy as this! What if I hulked out? I'd break it!" "Brucie, Brucie, Brucie. You think me naive? I had the whole floor hulk proofed, you're safe here."_ )

It was silent when Bruce reached their floor which was unusual because there was usually always noise of some sort; whether it be Tony's music or the TV or even something in the kitchen. There was nothing and it made Bruce feel uneasy. He stepped into the living area and settled down in an armchair, debating on whether or not he should go and look for Tony to settle whatever had happened in the labs.

"Dr Banner? Mr Stark requests your presence in his bedroom," JARVIS announced, making Bruce jump. He'd never get used to that voice coming from nowhere.

"Did he say what he wanted?" Bruce asked, hopping up and walking straight towards there room fearing the worst.

There was silence for a few moments and then the Al spoke up, "Not exactly, sir, but I got the gist that he would prefer for you to arrive sooner rather than later."

Bruce took a deep breath and pushed open the door, eyes immediately falling on Tony's body in the middle of the bed. The other man was hugging his knees to his chest and Bruce could hear the muffled sobbing that he was obviously trying to hide. It wasn't the first time that Bruce had seen Tony in such a state but every time he did it didn't hurt any less. Only this time it hurt more because he knew that he was responsible.

"Tony?" Bruce said gently, slowly approaching the bed, "Are you okay?"

Tony jumped slightly when he heard Bruce's voice, "Why do you care?"

"JARVIS told me you wanted me, Tony, don't be difficult," Bruce murmured, feeling concerned and wanting to comfort Tony but fearing rejection.

"Didn't think you'd come." Tony sat up and wiped his cheeks before turning to face Bruce, "You just...dammit Banner, you infuriate me sometimes."

There was no real heat behind his words and Bruce knew part of the reason he'd said it was because he was tired and frustrated. Deciding that the other man was probably seeking comfort and was choosing to hide that behind his usual snarky mask, Bruce slowly approached him and perched on the edge of the bed.

"You infuriate me as well, Tony. But that's okay because I love you, you idiot." Bruce rested his hands in his lap but wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold Tony, let him cry into his shirt and tell him that it was okay because they had each other and nothing else mattered.

"Even though I was an ass to you?" Tony asked quietly.

His eyes were wild and his hair was a mess from where he'd probably been pulling at it like he always did after a panic attack. It wasn't unusual for Tony to doubt Bruce's affections for him. They'd had similar discussions many times during the year of their relationship where Tony had gotten self-conscious and assumed Bruce was going to break up with him. Unbeknownst to him though, Bruce thought the same thing almost every day.

"Tony, you being an ass to me isn't going to stop me loving you. I'm hardly a saint myself." Bruce joked, "You need to get it through that brilliant mind of yours that I'm here for the long run, babe, you won't be getting rid of me that easily."

Tony considered these words for a moment then smiled, the sight of which warmed Bruce's heart. They were okay. Everything was okay.

"Just brilliant? Not awesome, amazing, incredible, magnificent-- mmphhh," Tony's rambling was cut off by Bruce pressing their lips together in a sweet kiss that he returned happily.

Bruce pulled away quickly though as he remembered how sore Tony's lips must be and when he looked, they were still chapped and red from bleeding. The two of them sat opposite each other with their foreheads touching as Bruce once again gently traced the outline of Tony's lip, pleased when the other man didn't pull away like before.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Bruce whispered, pressing soft kisses around Tony's bloodied lips, "I'm only looking out for you, you know that, but I really wish you'd take better care of yourself. I hate it when you're hurt but it's like you don't care and Tony, for God's sake, that terrifies me."

Tony closed his eyes and frowned, crease lines appearing on his forehead and for a moment Bruce thought he was going to shout again. But he didn't. He let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his unruly hair.

"I can't help it. It's just an anxious habit," Tony whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I worry you, Bruce. I don't want you to worry about me. I'm a big boy. It might not look like it but I know how to take care of myself."

"But when you risk your life in battle or when you don't take proper precautions when handling dangerous substances in the lab...it scares me, Tony. When you're feeling anxious, talk to me about it. You know I'll never turn you away. I'm always here for when you feel like shit and want to end it," Tony grabbed Bruce's hand and squeezed when he heard the catch in the physicists voice, "I love you so damn much, Tony Stark, and I'm not going away. I'm never going away. You're stuck with me."

"Bruce..." Tony started but found that if he spoke much more he'd probably burst into tears so he instead settled for pressing kisses all over Bruce's face, "I love you too, you big softie."

They didn't leave their room for the rest of the night. The two of them simply sat there talking abouth everything and nothing, their bodies tangled together so that they hardly knew where one ended and the other began. But if one thing was certain in both of their minds by the end of the night; it was that Bruce loved Tony unconditionally, and that, despite how much he tended to hide it, Tony loved Bruce too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy? c u soon buds


	7. Irrational Fear

It was rare for Bruce to manage to get some quiet time while living in the tower. There was usually always someone that wanted his attention; whether it was for archery demonstrations, information on gadgets, help designing some new high tech equipment or even just a friendly face for people to vent their frustrations - someone usually always wanted him. So when he did manage to get some free time, Bruce didn't waste a single second of it. First he would change into an old t-shirt and a pair of boxers (today's choice being a green pair with 'Hulk SMASH' on the ass, a gift from Tony), then he'd find a comfortable position in bed, pick up whatever book he was reading at the time, put on his glasses and read away. Today was no different.

Steve, Thor, Clint and Natasha had gone to the cinema to watch whatever new action film was out at the moment and Tony was still in the labs working on ways to make the engine of his new car even better. It was peaceful. His heart beat was as it should be and there was no threat of the Other Guy making a sudden guest appearance. It was times like this where Bruce just let go of any troubling thoughts and managed to relax for however long people were willing to leave him alone for which, living with Tony, was never for very long.

"Good evening, sweetcheeks," Tony sang happily as he swaggered into their bedroom, "How is it that you manage to look both cute and sexy at the same time?"

Bruce glanced up from his book to look at Tony and couldn't help roll his eyes. The other man had streaks of oil on his face, his hair was sticking up in about ten different directions, there was a rip in his Black Sabbath t-shirt that looked suspiciously singed around the edges and his hands were covered in grease. Most people would probably find the sight somewhat disgusting but Bruce thought it made Tony look all the more handsome.

"It's just part of my charm." Bruce deadpanned then looked back down at his book even though he knew Tony would probably have his full attention in less than a minute.

"You say that, but I still think you have some sort of power. You're the sexiest nerd I've ever seen." Tony was grinning his 'I'm horny and I want sex now' grin and slowly walking towards the bed to where Bruce was sat.

"If you think you're putting those filthy hands on my body, think again." Bruce said evenly, cocking an eyebrow and smirking at Tony's whine of protest, "Go and wash up and I may reconsider."

Tony huffed but did as he was told, for once, which left Bruce with about five minutes of reading time before he returned even more eager for sex than before. So he finished the page, placed his bookmark and set it on the bedside table before getting lube and condoms out of the drawer. With the mood Tony was in he might even manage two orgasms which was always fun. All of a sudden Tony came running out of the bathroom with wide, wild eyes and a grim expression, which could only mean one thing.

"Brucie, babe, I know you told me that I need to start taking care of these things myself but I swear to you this one is massive and I think it's gonna kill me."

Bruce let out a long suffering sigh, swung his legs over the side of the bed then trudged into the bathroom to find the spider that had panicked Tony so much. The taps were still running and there was a towel on the floor that Bruce nearly slid on, but there was no sign of the beast.

"Tony I don't see anything, are you sure you saw one?" he groaned, having had this conversation too many times for him to count.

"I'm positive! You think I'd make something like that up? I'm not sick!" Tony complained, poking his head around the door of the bathroom, "It was crawling by the toothbrushes."

Bruce scrubbed a hand over his face in frustration but turned to look anyway, still not seeing anything and silently resenting Tony just a little bit. He'd been comfortable. He'd been relaxed and calm and stress free; Tony had been there five minutes and he was already having to breathe deeply.

"Babe there's nothing here."

"I'm not going back in there until you find and kill the sucker which means I can't wash up which means no sex and you know how much you love hearing me scream your name, don't deny it."

"Well, what do you want me to do? Wait here until it shows its face? This is ridiculous you're a grown man! You have taken on many aliens and villains and assholes and you can't face a spider? What kind of superhero are you?"

Tony _pouted_ at him, fucking pouted, and Bruce knew he was going to be in the damn bathroom until one of them saw the spider again and honestly he'd rather be watching Clint shoot arrows at apples on Natasha's head than this right now. But then Tony squealed and pointed at the sink where, sure enough, a _tiny_ spider was making it's merry way towards the taps when Bruce grabbed it and flushed it down the toilet.

"Are you satisfied?" Bruce murmured, crossing his arms and glowering at the physicist.

"Can you just make sure there's no more? I mean, it could have been a mom. It could have laid a load of babies in there. Oh _God_. Bruce. What if there's loads of spider babies in our bathroom?" Tony started to panic which meant he'd started to ramble and yeah Bruce really wasn't in the mood for this shit.

"We've been through this before. There are no spider babies in our bathroom, there are no more spiders in general in our bathroom, wash your fucking hands and come to bed, okay?" Bruce spoke in what he hoped was a stern voice but probably sounded more tired than anything.

Tony whined and whinged and complained the whole way through washing his hands and by the time he'd come moping over to their bed Bruce really wasn't in the mood.

"You really need to get over this stupid fear." Bruce sighed when Tony curled himself around Bruce's legs with his head in the other mans lap, "I'll always get the spiders for you when you need me to but it's getting ridiculous."

Tony shrugged his shoulders and leaned into Bruce's hand when he started running his fingers through Tony's wild hair, "You love me though."

Bruce rolled his eyes and moved them so they were on their sides facing each other, "Sure I do...all I'm saying is that if Clint somehow gets hold of the information that you hate spiders and they start showing up all over the place, it's nothing to do with me." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea for this after there was a moth in my room (bc i hate moths) and this was born. Hope you like it!


	8. Tipsy Talk

Bruce didn't like it when Tony got drunk. When Tony was drunk he was loud and obnoxious and abrasive and arrogant. Drunk Tony was the person that would mutter cruel comments to anyone that denied him alcohol, the person that would accidentally ruin Bruce's experiments because he'd been crashing around in the lab, the person that broadcasted their personal private life to journalists for attention, the person that would show up on the front page of the newspaper the next day in his underwear showering people with expensive champagne. It was when Tony was drunk that Bruce was reminded of his alcoholic father and the pain he inflicted. But the worst part was the next day when Tony was bedridden with an awful hangover not remembering anything of the night before. Not remembering how he'd yelled at Bruce when he'd locked the drinks cabinet and called him a colourful variety of slurs for dragging him to bed. Not remembering how shit he'd made Bruce feel.

No, Bruce didn't like when Tony was drunk...but he loved it when Tony was tipsy. When Tony was tipsy he became clingy and giggly and cute. It happened on the days when he wasn't drinking to forget, he was drinking because they had company or there was nothing else in the cupboards. Bruce loved it because tipsy Tony would plop himself down on his lap and curl himself around his body, would get half way through telling Bruce an _awful_ joke and then break off in the middle into a fit of giggles, would poke Bruce's face and tell him that he was handsome and that he didn't deserve him. And tonight was another of those nights.

There'd been some business meeting that Bruce didn't really bother learning the fine details of that Tony had been required to attend with Pepper. It had lasted from seven to half ten and when Tony had returned, only slightly leaning on Pepper, his face lit up as soon as he set his eyes on Bruce and Bruce knew it was going to be one of those nights.

"I managed to stop him getting drunk out of his mind so he's only slightly intoxicated. Kept rambling about how your eyes are the brownest he's ever on the journey home. It was more endearing that irritating, if I'm honest," Pepper smirked when Tony flopped down next to Bruce on the couch, "I'll leave you two to it. Remind him about the forms he has to sign when he's a little more coherent?"

"Sure thing, Pepper. Thanks for looking after him. Good night," Bruce waved her out to be polite but his full attention was on the grinning engineer sat next to him.

"Bruce!" Tony murmured happily, staring intently at Bruce with slightly glazed eyes, "I missed you, buddy."

"I missed you too, Tony," Bruce replied softly, "Did you have fun at the meeting with Pepper?"

Tony frowned at this like he'd been deeply offended, "No, s'no fun when you're not around."

Bruce chuckled and let Tony climb into his lap where he clung to Bruce like a koala. It wasn't like Tony was ever reluctant handing out affection when sober, but it was always slaps on the back or an arm slung lazily across his shoulders or hand holding on the rare occasions that they left the tower together. He was rarely this clingy when he was sober and while Bruce never complained he secretly loved it when Tony clambered into his lap and wound his arms around his neck.

"You're real cute, y'know that?" Tony was grinning again and Bruce could swear it lit up the entire room, "You have these _eyes_ y'know? They're all big and brown and I can jus' get lost lookin' into 'em."

"Is that what you like best about me?" Bruce asked gently, one hand resting on Tony's lower back and the other on his thigh where he was rubbing slow circles with his thumb.

"I like a lot'a things 'bout you. I like when you concentrate real hard and those crinkles appear on your forehead. I like when you're real passionate 'bout somethin' and you talk real animated with your hands and your voice is all excited and you talk so fast I only understand half of what you're sayin'. I like your hugs 'cause you wrap your arms tight around me and nuzzle your face into my neck, that's real cute. I like your curly hair 'cause I can run my fingers through it and it still looks awesome," he paused for a moment to demonstrate his point and giggled upon doing so, "I like your smile because there's so many diff'rent versions of it. There's the smile you gimme when I'm getting on your nerves, all tight at the edges that doesn't meet your eyes. There's the smile you gimme when I do something unexpected like kiss you without warning or grab your hand when we're in a meeting - that smile is soft and gooey and you always blush and s'real cute. My favourite is the smile you gimme when I tell you I love you 'cause you really grin and your face lights up and your eyes crinkle at the corners it's real nice.

"I like when you blush when I compliment you, like you don't expect someone would say something like that to you. That makes me sad though 'cause you should be told that kinda thing all the time and you don't believe me when I tell you. I like your hands 'cause they're healers hands. Them hands have helped a load a people and that makes 'em special. I like when you shake your hair when you get out the shower even though you spray me with water. I like when your nose scrunches up when you get stuck with somethin'. I like your kisses and your caresses and when you breathe my name when you come." Tony smirks and kisses Bruce's nose when he notices how he's trying to hide his blush, "I like how you never judge me when I have a nightmare and you get that I wanna be alone sometimes. I like how strong you are, when you pin me down or lift me up. I like when you laugh 'cause it brightens your whole face and is so damn contagious. I like all them things, and all of 'em together makes _you_ and I love you."

After he finishes speaking he presses gentle kisses across Bruce's face and tangles his fingers in his curls. Bruce pulls him closer, their bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces, capturing Tony's lips and kissing him hard.

"I love you too, you sap." he breaths against Tony's lips when the kiss breaks.

"With all your heart?" Tony questions innocently, poking Bruce in the chest above where his heart rests in his chest.

"With all my heart." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to type like how a drunk person would talk? I don't know if I succeeded with that or not oh well. Hope you enjoyed the chapter :3 Feedback is, as always, appreciated. <3


	9. Nicknames

It was widely known that Tony Stark gave people nicknames. Everyone he met had at least one stupid nickname used to either irritate them or to be used if the case was that he couldn't be bothered to remember their name. Steve was Capcicle, Clint was Katniss, Thor was Point Break, Loki was Rock of Ages, Coulson was Agent Agent, Natasha was, well, Natasha, because even Tony wasn't stupid enough to try and piss her off. Point was that Tony nicknamed people a lot. But he tended to just pick one and stick with it...until he met Bruce. Apparently there was just something about Bruce that made Tony want to give him a new nickname every day, no matter how stupid or cheesy it was. Just that morning Bruce had been called "big green," "jolly green," and "green giant." because the engineer thought he was hilarious and original.

It wasn't like Bruce minded, in fact if he was honest he liked that he got more nicknames that everyone else, it was just embarrassing sometimes especially when they were in front of people. Like right now for instance. Bruce had been engaged in conversation with Steve about what life had been like in the nineteen forties when Tony had sauntered in with a tell tale mischievous smirk on his face.

"It was a lot different to how things are today, of course, but I wouldn't say that I would rather be there then here. There are so many new medicines and technological advancements that would have made all the difference back then and looking back it's shocking how much has changed in what's actually not that long of a time period." Steve said sincerely, "I mean, you're a scientist, you know how much we've advanced since then. It's incredible."

Bruce had been about to open his mouth to reply when Tony had come up behind him and draped his arms over his shoulders, pressing a quick kiss to the side of his head, "Morning sweet cheeks,"

Bruce felt his cheeks burning bright red at the words, able to hear Clint snickering behind him, "Morning, Tony." he mumbled in response quickly ducking out of the embrace.

"What's up, buttercup? You've gone all red," Tony grinned, knowing exactly what he was doing and not having a care in the world.

"I'm fine," Bruce glanced across at Clint who wasn't even attempting to hide his shit eating grin, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me, baby cakes?" Tony gasped and clutched his chest in mock shock, "And all I ever did was love you."

Bruce bit his lip and cast his eyes to the floor at the ridiculous term of endearment, watching as Tony swaggered out of the room into the kitchen to presumably make his morning coffee grinning in the knowledge that he'd successfully embarrassed Bruce.

"So, baby cakes, how are things?" Clint asked after a moment of silence to the sounds of muffled laughter from Steve and Natasha.

"Hey! I'm the only one that can call him that, Legolas. Get your own boyfriend. Or girlfriend. Whatever you're into." Tony called out making Bruce smile despite himself.

"I'd still prefer if it if you didn't call me that but whatever." Bruce said with a shake of his head.

"Do I embarrass you, Brucie bear?" Tony asked when he reemerged from the kitchen with a steaming mug of black coffee, "Would you prefer it if I called you something else?"

"Yes, you embarrass me and no I don't want you to call me something else. I'd rather you find one nickname you like and stick to it." Bruce replied sharply, wincing at how rude he sounded, "I mean...you know what I mean."

Tony raised his eyebrows and looked as though he were about to say something but instead wondered off with his coffee, shoulders tense and jaw set. Bruce knew immediately that if he didn't resolve whatever this was then he'd regret it so he pushed out his chair and ran off after him.

*

"I know I'm CEO, Tony, you don't have to remind me of that whenever you want to get out of a meeting with the board of directors. But I need you there! For moral support if nothing else." Pepper dumped a pile of papers that apparently needed his approval before they were sent off anywhere into Tony's arms and looked at him expectantly.

"Sure. Fine. Whatever. I'll come with you just let me talk about it with Bruce first." Tony sighed, dumping the papers on the nearest table and scratching behind his head.

"Well here he comes, ask him now." Pepper crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as Bruce slowly approached them.

When he saw Pepper, Bruce flinched internally but knew that he didn't want to leave resolving this issue until later because it'd only fester and make things more awkward between them. So he took a deep breath and plastered a smile on his face, walking up to Tony and wrapping his arms around the slightly taller man's chest, resting his cheek against his back.

"Hey, hot stuff. How're things?" He murmured, glad that he couldn't directly see Pepper at that moment because he'd probably die of embarrassment.

Immediately he felt Tony relax in his arms and heard the nearly unnoticeable hitch in his breath at the stupid nickname, "I'm doing good, babe. Great actually. We were just talking about some boring meeting that I apparently have to go to. Want to tag along? It's in California and I know how much you wanted to get away."

Bruce nodded slowly and tightened his grip a little, "Sounds like it'd be fun. After your meeting we could go to the beach or something?"

"You have his permission, Tony, so I'm going to go and inform the directors that you'll be gracing them with your presence. Nice to see you, Bruce. I'll talk to you both later." Pepper, ever polite when Bruce was around, smiled sweetly at the two of them and walked out with her heels clicking against the floor.

As soon as she was out of earshot Tony turned around in Bruce's arms and looked down at him with a calculating look in his eye he usually had when trying to figure out a particularly difficult puzzle, "Someone's changed their tune."

Bruce blushed a little in embarrassment upon hearing the tightness in Tony's voice, "I'm sorry for being a dick. I like it when you give me nicknames, it makes me feel special, I just get embarrassed sometimes."

Tony rolled his eyes and pushed Bruce back up onto the counter behind him then moved to stand between his legs, "I like giving you nicknames, it lets people know that you're mine," he grinned wolfishly, moving his hands to Bruce's thighs, "You think I don't notice how flustered you get, but I do. I see you blush and fidget and I love it. I love that I can do that to you just with stupid names."

Bruce wrapped his legs around Tony's waist and pulled him in closer so that their chests were pressed against each other. Tony moved his hands up Bruce's thighs until they were resting on the other man's hips and leaned in until their mouths were a fraction of an inch away from each other.

"You like it when other people know I'm yours?" Bruce murmured, his eyes fixed on Tony's lips as the engineer teasingly ran his tongue over them, "Like other people knowing I belong to you?"

Bruce watched in fascination as Tony's pupil's dilated in lust and tightened his legs, looping his arms around his neck with a playful smile. Part of him knew that it wasn't the best place to be doing something like this as they were completely out in the open and anyone could walk in, but at the same time it gave him a sort of thrill.

"God, yes." Tony shuddered and closed the small distance between their lips, wasting no time in prizing Bruce's lips apart with his tongue and licking into his mouth.

Bruce kissed back enthusiastically and moved one hand up into Tony's hair where he tangled his fingers and tugged slightly. They pulled away after a moment to catch their breath and Tony slid his hands under Bruce in order to lift him off the counter.

"You're so hot like this, baby," Tony said with a grunt as he took Bruce's weight, muscles rippling with the effort it took to not drop him on his ass, "Mine."

"Yours." Bruce breathed pressing his lips back to Tony's in a clumsy, wet kiss, "All yours." 

Tony stumbled down the corridor to their room and all but threw Bruce down onto the bed, admiring him for a moment before shedding his T-Shirt and climbing back on top of him.

"Fuck, call me what you want, I love you." Bruce panted when Tony started kissing hotly down his neck.

"You're going to regret that, sugar."   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated in a while and I'm really sorry, it's just that I've had a shit time recently (mostly sorted out now) and I also have a lot of homework a week (the joys of sixth form...yay). After this one there's only two more chapters left which is sort of scary wow I've grown really attached to this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please comment+bookmark+leave kudos if you did that'd make me super happy. Reckon we can get to 50 kudos? That's be awesome <3


	10. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is a lot different to the ones I've written previously and is a lot more emotional. If you are triggered by family death or MILD mentions of abuse then please don't read. This is the last chapter before the epilogue though and I got really emotional writing it because it hit home hard for me. Please leave feedback as it's always appreciated. Reckon we can get to 70 kudos? That'd be awesome <3

Sometimes people forgot that Tony Stark was just a human. He didn't have any super powers, he wasn't a science experiment, he wasn't from another world: he was just a guy. His suit wasn't magic, it was built by hand from scratch in his workshop but not everyone understood that. People always asked too much of him, made unreasonable demands and expected to be given them based on that fact that Tony was Iron Man and Iron Man helped people. No one seemed to be able to comprehend that Tony got hurt sometimes and that it wouldn't be healed in an instant by a genetic serum or godly powers - he'd have the scars of his wounds for the rest of his life. But not all of his scars were physical.

Growing up as the son of the famous Howard Stark had of course had it's perks; everyone recognised him wherever he went and Tony had always been in his element as the center of attention, but no one saw what went on behind closed doors. They didn't witness Howard and Maria screaming at each other at obscene hours of the morning telling each other they hated each other and that 'the kid' was the only reason they stayed together. None of them saw how Tony had to put on a brave face as his father yelled at him for not getting full marks on a pop quiz, forcing back the tears because that would only bring on a whole new torrent of abuse. No one felt the fear that Tony had watching his mother smoke endless cigarettes a day to cope with the 'stress' of being married to a billionaire and having to raise his son.

Despite all of his emotional scars however, it was the physical ones that Tony felt most insecure about. There were the less obvious and more faded ones from his childhood like the one on the side of his knee from where he'd fallen off of his bike when he was six and the small pink one in the center of his forehead from where he'd walked straight into an open cupboard door when he was eight. Those ones he didn't fret too much over because they weren't particularly bad memories; they were a part of his younger self and he wanted all the connections to the innocence of his youth he could scramble together. It was the ones from adulthood he was most self conscious about.

The variety of scars he'd been left with after the battle of New York, the most prominent being the one that ran from his armpit to the small of his back that had been caused when the Hulk had caught him and made the armour to cut into him. The scar he'd been left with after he'd broken his arm when he was twenty one when he'd fallen down the stairs after having drowned himself in alcohol upon recieving the call that both his parents had died in a car crash. The scars left from the torture he'd been put through in the caves, burn marks up the length of his left arm from a hot smouldering iron. Scars scattered across his body. Serving as a constant inescapable reminder of the things he wanted to scrub from him memory. He couldn't escape them. They tainted him.

Tony most definitely was not perfect. He had flaws, imperfections and a whole tonne of baggage that he shoved away when facing the public only to crumble and break apart when he was in the sanctity of his own home. No one saw these breakdowns, no one cared to notice how the obnoxious comments and smiles were all fake, how his tough guy persona was forged for the public so that no one would know how broken he really was. Before Bruce had come along Tony hadn't thought that anyone would accept his scars. He believed that they were ugly and proved how fragile his pathetic human body was, he never thought that anyone would look past them and discover the man he really was. The man that built hospitals for sick children and visited them in the suit with toys and books, the man that set up hundreds of homeless shelters that provided warm food and a safe place to sleep, the man that devoted millions to renewable energy in order to make the world a better place to live and the man that loved with all of his heart that had no one to share it with.

But then Bruce had come along, and everything had changed drastically. Bruce taught Tony to accept the parts of himself he believed to be weaknesses and embrace his flaws. Bruce didn't let Tony close himself off when he felt insecure, he encouraged him to be open about his emotions and to share his pain with someone to unload the stress. Bruce was like his anchor. He always stopped him from sinking too far into his own head and could always tell when he needed to be reminded of the great things he'd done to stop him from dwelling on the bad.

_"Bruce, think of all the people I've killed, the people my weapons have killed. I'm a murderer."_

_"But think of all the people who's lives you've saved. You sent that nuke through a wormhole into space to save the lives of millions not knowing if you were going to survive or not. You saved the president. You're a good man."_

The soothing words of comfort would always be accompanied with calming touches and reassuring smiles. They would remind Tony of the great things he'd done, of all the people he'd helped and the people he would continue to help. Bruce was his entire world, his reason to live, the love of his life. The only person he felt truly comfortable showing his scars to, which was how he'd gotten to that situation.

*

Before Tony had a chance to sit down that night after having returned from a gala, that Bruce had been invited to attend but had politely declined, Bruce took the engineer's hand and slowly tugged him towards their bedroom. No words were exchanged between them in the time it took for them to reach their destination as though they both knew how important it was that the evening went well and how it wasn't the time for inappropriate jokes. Tony squeezed Bruce's hand when they approached their door and felt his heart rate begin to climb in anticipation of what the night would bring.

Once inside with the door closed Bruce stepped into Tony's personal space and lifted his hands to the other man's cheeks gently, smiling softly at him as though any sudden movement would cause him to break. Tony returned the smile and let himself relax into Bruce's touch knowing that he was safe now, that he could show whatever side of himself he wanted and know that Bruce wouldn't judge him.

"I love you." Bruce murmured moving his thumb across the skin of Tony's cheek slowly.

"I love you too," Tony replied quietly knowing that if he spoke much his voice would give away how vulnerable he felt, "I trust you."

Bruce's eyes slid closed at the statement and he breathed deeply for a moment to process how much those words meant. Tony didn't trust anyone, not since Obie, the fact that he was openly stating this made Bruce feel like the most privileged man on the earth. He was the one that got to be this close to Tony and he still couldn't get over it.

"Thank you." Bruce said after a quiet moment, moving his hands down Tony's arms to his hands, "Did you have a good time?"

Tony shook his head and averted his eyes at this, "No. It was dull, which was to be expected, and there were too many people there that were only talking to me because I'm Tony Stark and they thought I'd give them a job or a million dollars." he exhaled and took in a shaky breath, "I hate that people don't want to get to know me, they only want to know Tony Stark. The billionaire. The asshole that sold weapons to terrorist groups."

"Hey. Enough now, you're okay." Bruce started to lead Tony towards the bed making sure to keep eye contact with him the entire time, "Those people? They're jerks. They think they know you because they read bullshit stories in the newspaper. They don't know the real you. They don't know the you I know."

The two of them moved so they were sat on the center of the bed where Bruce raised his hand to Tony's hair and carded his fingers through it softly, immediately noticing the tension begin to fade from the lines of his face. They sat together for a while, the only contact being Bruce's hand in Tony's hair, listening to the sound of each other breathing and relishing in the fact that they could be so comfortable around each other without having to fill the silences with meaningless words.

"They don't know how much those stupid articles get to you. I wish I could stop them, I wish I could get them to print the truth." Bruce shook his head sadly and motioned for Tony to lay back against the pillows, crawling on top of him once he'd done so, "You need to ignore them, okay?"

Tony let his hands rest on Bruce's hips and gazed up at his boyfriend with admiration, "I try, Bruce. But sometimes I feel shit already and it's like another punch to the gut. It makes me feel so weak." he shouted this and scrunched his eyes closed, trying to calm his breathing so that it wouldn't trigger a panic attack which was the last thing either of them wanted.

Bruce felt a pang of heartbreak shoot through him at Tony's words and leaned down to kiss the creases on the other man's brow, one hand still curled in his unruly black hair. Tony let himself be calmed by Bruce's actions, focusing only on him and nothing else to help him center on the moment instead of sinking back into the sea of self loathing.

"I love you, Tony." Bruce whispered before pressing soft kisses across Tony's cheeks and nose, pressing two to each of his eyelids before moving to his lips which he captured in a tender heartfelt kiss.

Tony parted his legs a little to allow Bruce to rest between him, wrapping his arms tight around the physicists neck to prevent him from pulling away. They got lost in the kiss, becoming completely oblivious to the world around them. It was just them in their own bubble. No nosy press, no arrogant business men thinking they were better than Tony simply because they were older, no ignorant civilians that believed every word the newspapers printed about Tony or the other Avengers: no one but them. After a while their soft kisses became more passionate and needy with Tony nipping eagerly at Bruce's lower lip and whimpering when the other man rolled his hips down against Tony's creating a delicious friction.

"You're imperfectly perfect," Bruce announced pulling his lips away from Tony's much to the disappointment of the other man so that he could focus on stripping them both of their shirts, "Everything you consider to be a flaw, I consider to be a vital part of who you are. You think your scars somehow make you less of a man? They don't. They make you more of a person. They make you real."

"Bruce..." Tony cursed at how broken his voice sounded and hated the people that had made him consider showing emotion to be a bad thing.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. I've got you, you're okay," Bruce cooed softly, pressing his lips to the space on Tony's chest above his heart.

"Don't, don't look at me." the tears spilled from Tony's closed eyes despite how he'd been trying to hold them back.

Lying there on their bed without his shirt on made him feel exposed and uneasy. All of his scars were in plain sight for Bruce to see and although he'd seen them before it had been nothing like this. Bruce reached for Tony's hand and entwined their fingers his thumb rubbing soothingly over the callous skin of Tony's hands.

"You think your scars make you ugly but to me they make you beautiful." to make his point, Bruce pressed his lips to the slightly protruding white scar along Tony's abdomen from when he'd fallen with the mansion into the ocean and been trapped, "They're a part of who you are. You start life as a blank canvas and collect marks throughout your life that tell your story."

"They're hideous!"

"No. Media and home influences have twisted your mind into believing that any change between human's is wrong, imperfect. Your differences make you unique. They make you Tony. My Tony." Bruce kissed around the edge of the arc reactor then up his neck to his collar bones, "Your scars are a part of you, and I love you, so I love them."

Tony turned his head to the side in an attempt to hide his tear stained cheeks from Bruce's eyes and clenched his hand so hard it must have hurt. He'd never felt this open before and for the first time he started to feel like it wasn't such a bad thing to acknowledge his scars. There was only thing he felt in that moment and that was pure love. Love for the man that had come into his life and filled it with colour and purpose. Love for Robert Bruce Banner, and all that he stood for.

"Bruce?"

"Yeah?"

"Marry me." 


End file.
